Zane had a truly terrifying nightmare.
In the dream, he was sucked into a dark, damp place and chased by a horde of rotting, headless corpses and a long-haired ghost straight out of The Ring.
He didn't sleep well at all. When he woke up, his head was spinning and his back was drenched in a cold sweat.
"Weird... why does it feel so much colder..." The moment he got out of bed, Zane felt like something was wrong.
He glanced out the window. It had been autumn when he first arrived. A month had passed since then, which meant winter was just around the corner. A sudden drop in temperature was normal for this time of year. Zane didn't think much of it, got dressed, and took his two Pokémon to the cafeteria for breakfast.
On his way past the training grounds, he saw Tsuyoshi teaching a class. Unlike Zane, Tsuyoshi was the Pokémon Type Class teacher. Besides his normal classroom lectures, he would occasionally hold practical, real-world battle demonstrations on the field.
"What I want to say," Tsuyoshi was telling his students, "is that the idea that type advantage guarantees victory is not absolute. With the right commands and training, it's possible to defeat an opponent even when you have a type disadvantage."
As he spoke, his eyes drifted over to Zane. "Teacher Zane! Could you come over here for a second?"
"...What did you need me for?" Zane asked, cutting to the chase.
Tsuyoshi nodded. "Right! I'm explaining type-advantage battles to my class. Rika told me you just caught a Grass-type Pokémon. Would you be willing to have a battle with me?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a Corphish appeared at his side.
Zane gave him a deadpan look. "You've been a trainer for, what, seven or eight years? I'm a complete rookie."
Are you seriously trying to bully a newbie?
Tsuyoshi rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Ah, I almost forgot about that. But don't worry! I just caught this Corphish. It's only had a few battles."
"Alright, I'm in," Zane said, his interest piqued. This was a perfect chance to test out Budew's moves.
The two of them took their positions at opposite ends of the practice field. The students excitedly formed a circle around them.
May's face was full of anticipation. "Go, Teacher Zane, you can do it!" she shouted.
Following her lead, the other students also started cheering, but all of their cheers were for Zane.
Tsuyoshi's face darkened. "Hey! Why is no one cheering for me?!" he cried, heartbroken.
"Teacher, you have years of battle experience, and Teacher Zane just became a trainer! It's not fair!" May said, wagging a finger at him.
Tsuyoshi had no comeback for that.
Zane nearly burst out laughing. "Can we start?" he asked, trying to keep a straight face.
"Nini!" Budew's little face was full of fighting spirit. The delicious meal from yesterday had filled it with energy.
"The rules of the battle are 1v1! Each trainer may only use one Pokémon! The battle is over when one Pokémon is unable to continue!" May announced, doing a pretty good impression of a referee.
The battle began. Tsuyoshi decided to strike first. "Corphish, use Bubble!" he ordered loudly.
"Cor!" Corphish raised its two large pincers, and a stream of transparent bubbles flew out from them.
"Budew, dodge to the left!" Even though it was his first official Pokémon battle, Zane wasn't nervous. Instead, an unfamiliar surge of excitement coursed through him as he calmly gave the command.
Bubble is just a simplified version of Bubble Beam, he analyzed. It's less dense and moves more slowly. Budew has more than enough time to get out of the way.
Tsuyoshi saw his intent and pressed the attack. "Corphish, charge in and use Vice Grip!"
"Stun Spore, straight ahead!" Zane countered.
"CORR!"
"NINI!"
As the Corphish scuttled forward, Budew let out a cry of effort. A cloud of pale yellow powder erupted from the bud on its head, completely enveloping the charging Pokémon.
"fis?!"
Corphish's body stiffened. It was paralyzed.
"Seed Bomb!" Zane immediately pressed his advantage.
"NINI!"
A large, green seed materialized on Budew's head. Under its control, the seed shot forward and slammed directly into the paralyzed Corphish.
It was a direct hit.
Just as the name implied, the moment the seed made contact, it exploded.
A critical hit!
"COR!"
Corphish cried out in pain. Its resistance must have been low, because it didn't manage to shake off the paralysis.
Seeing this, Tsuyoshi felt his breath catch in his throat.
Zane went in for the kill. "Seed Bomb, one more time!"
The result was a foregone conclusion. The super-effective Seed Bomb knocked the Corphish out cold.
"NINI!"
Budew happily leaped into Zane's arms. It had defeated an enemy! Out in the wild, it had always been the one getting beaten. Just like for Zane, this was its first real victory! The joy of winning really was an amazing feeling.
"You did great!" Zane praised, not holding back. "Let's keep working hard together!"
"Teacher," a student asked, "does that mean it's impossible to win with a type disadvantage?"
Tsuyoshi recalled his Corphish, whispering a "Good work," then looked at his class with an embarrassed smile. "Your Teacher Zane is just really amazing," he said. "But like I said before, it is still possible to win a battle even if you have a type disadvantage."
"Your teacher is right," Zane added. "Type matchups aren't absolute. When you all go out on your own journeys, you'll definitely run into battles like this."
"But, as long as you understand and trust your partners, and you carefully observe your opponent's movements and predict their actions, you'll still have a chance to win." Zane then broke down the difference between Corphish's Bubble and the move Bubble Beam. If Corphish had used the faster Bubble Beam, Budew wouldn't have been able to dodge. After taking the hit, Tsuyoshi would have immediately pressed his advantage and had Corphish close the distance. If that had happened, the outcome of the battle might have been very different.
"Is that so?" May murmured thoughtfully. After a moment, her eyes lit up with admiration. "We'll remember that!"
Tsuyoshi nudged Zane with his elbow. "I'm starting to think you're a better battle instructor than I am," he whispered. "Maybe I should suggest it to the principal?"
"...I think the ecology class suits me just fine," Zane replied. Fewer classes meant more free time.
"Alright, then," Tsuyoshi said.
"I've gotta go, I have another class soon," Zane said. "I'll leave this to you."
He was out of there. It was time to take Budew to do its post-meal calisthenics.
————
After finishing his classes for the day, Zane returned to his dorm with Cramorant and Budew. The moment he stepped inside, he shivered. "Do you feel that?" he asked Budew. "It's way colder in here than it is outside."
He hadn't noticed it when he left that morning, but now, the difference was obvious. Something was wrong.
Budew frowned and nodded. "Nini..."
What's going on?
Zane stood in the living room and looked around. Was anything out of place? The only thing different was the new object he'd brought back. His eyes locked onto the dark purple orb on his desk.
He walked over and picked it up. The moment his fingers touched it, he felt a distinct, unnatural chill.
So, this was the source of the problem.
The "Cursed Orb."
He couldn't help but connect it to the nightmare he'd had last night, and the strange, desperate behavior of the adventurer who'd sold it to him. Was it all related to this thing? He narrowed his eyes. If it was, the adventurer was long gone by now. There was no way to find him.
To test his theory, before he went to sleep that night, he took the orb outside, found a deserted spot, and buried it in a deep hole.
He was looking forward to a peaceful, nightmare-free night. But when he opened his eyes the next morning, the bizarre, creepy orb was sitting right back on his desk.
He recalled another full night of horrible nightmares. "So that's why they call it a 'Cursed Orb'..."
Son of a bitch. It's fucking haunted!